2nd Sunday after Pentecost (A)_
"How's your foundation?"
2nd Sunday after Pentecost (A)
Deut.11:18-21, 26-28; Ro.1:16-17, 3:22b-31; Mt.7:21-29
I. Introduction
A. Lectionary
1. Deuteronomy 11:18-21, 26-28
a. God directs the Israelites to hold the words of the law before themselves and others at all times. Respecting the commandments of God is the only way to assure that God will bless them.
2. Romans 1:16-17; 3:22b-28 (29-31
a. Paul is not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God for salvation for those who have faith. It leads to righteousness – being civilized people. God’s righteousness is manifest in “divine forbearance” or graciousness. We are justified by faith, not by works
3. Matthew 7:21-29
a. Jesus warns against boastful religion. The person who hears Jesus’ words and does them is like one who builds a house on rock, and the one who does not hear is like one who builds on sand.
4. Prayer: Lord God, dear Father, through your Holy Spirit you have taught and enlightened the hearts of your believers. Through the same Spirit give us a right understanding, to be glad at all times in His comfort and power, through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
II. Body
A. The Warnings
1. the Boaster
a. we're given two warnings today; the scripture readings of Deuteronomy, and the gospel in Matthew
b. in Moses' farewell address, he gives Israel a blessing and a curse; a blessing if they obey the commandments of God, and a curse if they do not
c. likewise, in the gospel of Matthew, Jesus said to the disciples, "Not everyone who says to me Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven."
d. You've heard these people before, the all-talk and no-walk people? You know who I'm talking about, the ones that are into church and that 'Christian-thing' because that's one country-club they can walk into with not having to pay a large initiation and yearly fees. Most of all, they like to brag about their being accepted into the club.
e. Illus: Several hunters were sitting around boasting about the dogs they owned. Noting that an elderly native was listening intently, they laid it on thick. "Take my setter," said one man. "When I send him to the store for eggs, he refuses to accept them unless they're fresh. What a nose that dog has!" "That's nothing," bragged another. "My Springer goes out for cigars and refuses to accept any but my favorite brand. Not only that, he won't smoke any until he gets home and I offer one." "Say, old-timer," said another man turning to the native, "did you ever hear of any dogs as smart as our?" "Just one-my brother's dog," was the reply. "I think he's a bit smarter." "How?" he was asked. "Well," replied the native, "he runs the store where your dogs trade."
g. Jesus continued, "But didn't we prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?" Then Jesus will declare to them, "I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers." You may have used Jesus' name, but your casting out demons and deeds done were not out of your love for neighbor, but for taking pride in yourself
h. Jesus is of course, as Moses was, folding back the outside layers of the person, and wanting them to examine their hearts; which is the foundation for all action
i. And Jesus especially was, as He continued with the two houses, and the foundations upon which each were built; one on a rock, and the other on sand
2. The Hypocrite
a. He had just taught the disciples to beware of the false prophets, who come to them in sheep's clothing. Once again, examining these, was necessary for the disciples in order to know a good prophet from a bad one; and you could only distinguish them by the fruits that each one bore
b. Illus: A man came from the Carolina mountains one day. He was all dressed up and carrying his Bible. A friend saw him and asked, "Elias, what's happening? Where are you going all dressed up like that?" Elias said, "I've been hearing about New Orleans. I hear that there is a lot of free-runnin' liquor and a lot of gamblin' and a lot of real good, naughty shows." The friend looked him over and said, "But Elias, why are you carrying your Bible under your arm?" He answered, "Well, if'n it's as good as they say it is, I might just stay over until Sunday."
c. Eventually, people will show you who they truly are inside by the fruits they bear: their actions, decisions and by the way they live. It takes time, and it takes patience, but you will finally come to know the foundation of a person; be it a rock, or on sand.
B. The Results
1. Moses
a. Moses warned the Israelites that if they obeyed the commandments of the Lord they would be blessed, but if they didn't they would be cursed
2. Jesus
a. Likewise, Jesus told the crowds that, 'not everyone that says to Him Lord, Lord' will enter the kingdom of heaven. Only the ones that act upon His words would his house stand because he built his house on the rock (the rock of God's commandments); and the one who built his house upon sand (the world's sinking/perishable goods) would fall, and it would be a great fall!
C. The Lesson
1. the first lesson
a. The first insight of the lesson is that those who might be termed super-religious have always been around. Remember, there were Pharisees in the crowds. They were exploiting the faith of Jesus even before the crucifixion. Jesus described them perfectly, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?” (Mt 7:22). And to those exaggerated claims, Jesus replies, “I never knew you, go away from me, you evil-doers” (v. 23). The sin is not calling Jesus “Lord, Lord” but in using a reference to Jesus of Nazareth in order to advertise their own piety. The sin is using Jesus to glorify self.
2. the second lesson
a. Exploiters of religion threaten the religious expression of the genuinely faithful. People who might otherwise see the power and beauty of Jesus’ faith were put off in Jesus’ day – as they are today – by the kind of exaggerated claims to which Jesus made reference. Charlatans today are aided by mass media. Thousands are drawn in by their claims. Certainty is always popular! Religions that can lay claim to prophecy coming directly from God thrive. Those with rare medical maladies or those looking for shortcuts to health are prey for faith healers. Pretentious religious claims have built huge institutions, & attracted vast followings. Are those the “deeds of power?” They prey on the weak, the anxious, and often the innocent. They solicit money from families who cannot buy food for the table. Evil? Yes, they are evil-doers; wolves in sheep's clothing Jesus warned.
III. Conclusion
A. Call to action
1. But what about us?
a. But what about us – who stand at some distance from those evil-doers and marvel that some can be taken in by such foolishness? There may be a sermon in this lesson that the preacher would rather leave alone. In church on Sunday we all speak our own “Lord, Lord” in hymns and in creeds. We freely identify ourselves as servants of Jesus Christ whether we serve or not. We hear sermons about the poor while keeping our distance from the difficult issues raised by real people in poverty or other victims of injustice. Is it possible that we fool ourselves into saying that we are here to serve God, when we are really here to identify our goodness with God’s goodness? Here’s a short checklist to aid our reflection.
Do we perceive God as loving what we love and hating what we hate? Do we sense no real tension between our life patterns and the God we worship? Isaiah’s insight concerning God was this, “My ways are not your ways . . .”
Are the activities of our week laid before God in prayer or reflection? Does what we do protect the dignity of others? Does it empower others? How does it glorify God? Does it respect the environment we leave to our children? Have we served God or ourselves?
Are we here in church to serve God or to serve our business interests? Hiding within an offering can be a prayer for those in need, a prayer for the gospel to be acted out in the world. But hiding in even a generous offering may be also a prayer for ourselves.
Before anyone wears out the pew twisting in discomfort, it is time for a quick lesson in theology. God loves you. God does not judge in order to condemn, but in order to open the way to new ideas, new realizations, even new patterns of life. God is well aware that we all live in systems of ethics, in matrixes of human attitudes, that prevent us from doing what we know is right. But God expects us to be agents of excellence wherever we find ourselves, any place, any time; His commissioned agent of good news.
2. Illus: Many trees appear to be healthy when we see them in summer. But in the winter, after their leaves have all fallen off, we sometimes find that hidden underneath the lush green of the summer foliage was a parasitic plant called mistletoe, which had been slowly sucking away some of the tree's vitality. We as Christians sometimes have hidden sins, which--like the mistletoe, slowly suck away our spiritual vitality. Although not always evident in times of outward spiritual health and fruitfulness, we must always examine ourselves for those small, often unseen, parasites of sinful habits that will sap our vitality. Open our eyes Lord, and let us examine the foundations upon which we are built, and for Jesus' sake, don't let us lose sight of Your heavenly goal.
Prayer: Father God, if the rains fell and the floods came, would our house stand or fall? Where is our foundations? Are they based upon Your Holy Word, or are they more self-serving? Will you know us Lord Jesus because of our faith or will you not know us because of our works? We pray that we see the blessing through obedience to your commandments and not the curse from disobeying. Grant us grace to make corrections if we need to in order to receive the blessing and enter the kingdom of heaven. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.